THE ELDERS

	Sobonfu Some Born to the Dagara Tribe of West Africa's Bukino Faso, Sobonfu's  name means “keeper of the rituals." She was guided from an early age to prepare for her life’s work, as divined by the elders of her village before her birth.  She is considered one of the foremost voices in African spirituality to come to the West. Through her teachings and books, she shares  the rich spiritual life and culture of her people in a manner that exudes grace and eloquence. Through workshops, ritual and divination, she connects today's world with the ancestors and spreads the message of the importance of spirit, community and ritual in our lives.
	Tata Erick Gonzalez Also known by his Tolteca-Azteca name OmeAkaEhekatl and his Haida tribal name Gaada (“supernatural light”) Tata Erick is a lineage-holder and Daykeeper of the Cakchikel Maya of Guatemala. He trained in the ceremonial way for 32 years with indigenous healers and medicine people from North, Central, and South America and was ceremonially initiated as a Mayan Aj Q’ij (staff of light) in 1994. His Earth Peoples United is creating two models of spiritual land stewardship: one in Guatemala on the shores of Lake Atitlan, and one north of Mt. Shasta in Northern California.
	Whaea Raina Ferris Raina Atareta Ferris is a member of the Māori Ngāti Kahungunu iwi (tribe) of Aotearoa (New Zealand).   Tracing her heritage through a lineage of warrior women, Raina lives rurally in the small township of Porangahau.  From an early age, Raina learned the rituals entrusted to her family, caretakers of the local marae (meeting grounds). Today she is helping her people reclaim their ancestral wisdom which had been watered down by several generations of colonization and missionary presence. Her particular emphasis is on the role of Māori women in the spiritual welfare of the marae and the community.
	Kawan Sangaa "Woody" Morrison Kawan Sangaa began his training as a History Keeper for the Haida people at the age of three. Heir to the chief of the Whale House, he has sat in ceremony with tribal elders from around the world and has been an active planner and participant in international conferences on environmental, economic and health issues.He is president of the Vancourver Society of Storytelling and on the board of directors of Wisdom of the Elders, a non-profit organization that records and preserves indigeous oral traditions and cultural arts in order to regenerate the greatness of culture among native peoples.
	Vedamurti Shri Vivek Shastri L. Godbole From a lineage of 15 generations of learned practitioners of the Krishna Yajur Veda, Shri Vivek is the main teacher and principal of Sri Krsna-Yajurveda Pathasala, a school in Satara, India, which specializes in the revitalization of the Oral Tradition of the Vedas.  Shri Vivek is an accomplished Vedic astrologer and is widely known for his evocative Vedic chanting and his love of performing yajna (Vedic fire ritual).  In addition,  he is recognized for his accessible and fascinating explanations of Vedic philosophy, ritual and culture.
	Grandmother Sara (Smith): Born to the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk Tribe, she has always lived  on the Iroquois Six Nations Reserve.  A leader in the Traditional Peoples movement for World Peace, she has travelled extensively throughout the world The teachings and prophecies she received from the Grandfathers and Grandmothers, her personal experiences, and "Dreamtime" inspire her sharing. She and her husband established the Roots 4 Peace Sharing Centre to promote Peace, Unity, Harmony, and Understanding among All Peoples, and dedicated it to the Children of Today and "Those-Yet-Not-Here".  Recently she served as Chair of the International Indigenous Elders of the Americas Summit held at Six Nations.
	Tsaurirrikame Eliot Cowan Initiated a Huichol marakame (shaman) in 1997 and "tsaurirrikame” or “singer” in 2004, Eliot was granted authority to teach and initiate marakame apprentices, a rare designation for someone not Huichol by birth.  As a ceremonial leader, he guides pilgrims to several sacred sites, performs  rites of passage, and is ritual manager for various tradition restoration projects.  Eliot  has reached hundreds of students through his reintroduction of Plant Spirit Medicine to the Western world and is founder and chairman of  Blue Deer Center, a teaching and healing retreat center in the Catskills of New York state.